China and North Korea are to open the long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge to traffic on Thursday, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency has reported.
The crossing is expected to strengthen trade links between the two countries after years of delay. China completed its side in 2014, but North Korea left its section unfinished as relations deteriorated.
Beijing’s support for United Nations sanctions imposed after North Korean nuclear tests contributed to the strain between the neighbouring countries.
China-North Korea trade ties
China’s exports to North Korea rose to 2.3 billion dollars last year, a six-year high and a 25 per cent increase on the previous year.
Chinese President Xi Jinping was welcomed in Pyongyang in June, marking his first visit there since 2019. Beijing has sought to repair relations with North Korea since 2018, when Pyongyang also briefly pursued improved ties with Washington.
The two countries’ relationship dates back to the Korean War. Their 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance remains China’s only formal military alliance and includes a commitment for each side to assist the other if it comes under armed attack.
However, North Korea’s expanding relationship with Russia may have reduced its dependence on Beijing, analysts have said. Pyongyang and Moscow signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in 2024, including a mutual defence provision, and their military and political ties have since grown considerably stronger.
The first bridge linking Russia and North Korea also opened earlier this month. While trade with Russia largely involves military supplies, exchanges with China could include goods needed for North Korea’s civilian economy, analysts said.
North Korea has not yet resumed issuing tourism visas to Chinese citizens, who previously made up most of its overseas visitors.
US President Donald Trump signalled an interest in repairing relations with Pyongyang last month after talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended abruptly in 2019. Trump has floated the possibility of another meeting during his second term, although no official meeting has been arranged.
